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Home Blood Pressure

Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home

You don't always have to go to your doctor's office to have your blood pressure checked; you can monitor your own blood pressure at home. This is especially important if your doctor recommends that you monitor your blood pressure on a regular basis.

Tips for Checking Your Own Blood Pressure

There are certain factors that can cause blood pressure to temporarily rise. For example, blood pressure normally rises as a result of:

Try to avoid as many of these factors as you can when taking yourblood pressure. Also, try to measure your blood pressure at about the same time each day. Your doctor may want you to check your blood pressure several times during the day to see if it fluctuates.

Before Checking Your Blood Pressure

Find a quiet place to check your blood pressure. You will need to listen for your heartbeat.

Make sure that you are comfortable and relaxed with a recently emptied bladder (a full bladder may affect your reading).

Roll up the sleeve on your arm or remove any tight-sleeved clothing.

Rest in a chair next to a table for 5 to 10 minutes. Your arm should rest comfortably at heart level. Sit up straight with your back against the chair, legs uncrossed. Rest your forearm on the table with the palm of your hand facing up.

Step-by-Step Blood Pressure Check

If you purchase a manual or digital blood pressure monitor(sphygmomanometer), follow the instruction booklet carefully.

The following steps provide an overview of how to take your left arm blood pressure on either a manual or digital blood pressure monitor. Simply reverse the sides to take a blood pressure in your right arm.

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the amount of force that your blood puts on your artery walls as it moves through your body. Here’s how it works: Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body. When your heart beats, it pushes your blood through your arteries. As the blood moves, it puts pressure on your artery walls. This is your blood pressure.

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) occurs when your blood moves through your arteries at a higher pressure than normal. Many different things can cause high blood pressure. If your blood pressure gets too high or stays high for a long time, it can cause health problems.